What We Didn't Get is a book about generational trauma in the African American community. It explores how systemic racism, historical trauma, and poverty have disrupted the critical stages of child development, and how Black families can begin healing.What We Didn't Get is a research- and evidence-based work, grounded in scholarly study and documented sources, while also drawing from lived experience and the perspective gained through a lifetime of reflection. Written in a memoir-style form, it blends personal memory with research, evidence, and analysis to examine not only what was experienced, but what the broader record reveals about why those experiences matter. Drawing on and critically examining Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development alongside the developmental theories of Abraham Maslow, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Urie Bronfenbrenner, nurse educator Linda Landum examines how missed milestones in trust, identity, and emotional security become childhood trauma and emotional neglect that affect children, families, and entire communities across generations.Challenging traditional Eurocentric developmental theories, this book reframes growth and healing through a culturally responsive lens. It speaks directly to intergenerational trauma, racial trauma, and Black mental health, highlighting resilience, reclaiming lost stages, and offering practical, affirming strategies for healing childhood trauma, reparenting yourself, and raising emotionally secure children.A companion workbook, reflection questions, and guided prompts make it a resource for individual readers, parents, educators, counselors, book clubs, and classrooms.At its core, this work calls for action: break generational cycles, repair what was interrupted, strengthen emotional foundations, and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.
